WORK IN PROGRESS:
This post is a work in progress and is subject to changes, revisions, edits and deletions. I've presented it here to give you an idea of a general concept; however, I'm not sure I've done a very good job explaining it. Please bear with me as I continue to work through this.
The Mirror Effect is a phenomenon that a person experiences when they go through a change in the perception of their reality.
A person can't come to it from the quality of selfishness (seeking to benefit themselves), a person can only come to it from the quality of bestowal (seeking to benefit others).
When a person goes through a change in the perception of their reality, they come to perceive that what they see on the outside is a mirror of who they are on the inside. This happens for a number of reasons:
- Thoughts Manifest In Reality:
- Before a person goes through a change in the perception of their reality, they begin to notice that there's a connection between their thoughts and what manifest in reality. However, there's a tremendous amount of doubt and uncertainty about this, because how could that be? The notion sounds absurd. This idea is quickly and easily dismissed as impossible. However, it keeps happening, leaving one confused, even upset, especially if the thoughts that are manifesting in reality are negative and destructive.
- After a person goes through a change in the perception of their reality, the idea that thoughts manifest in reality is confirmed. A person comes to realize that their thoughts (both positive and negative) manifest in reality. For example, if they have positive thoughts, those positive thoughts manifest in reality; and if they have negative thoughts, those negative thoughts manifest in reality. A person feels as though they are creating reality. What they think on the inside is mirrored by what they see manifest on the outside.
- This makes a person want to stop harming others and all of Nature, to only have positive and constructive thoughts that benefit others and all of Nature.
- The Structure Of Our Intention:
- The Wisdom of Kabbalah [1] is simply the wisdom of connection, focusing on the structure of our intention, which is how we connect to others. Our intention is comprised of 10 sefirot (Keter, Chochma, Bina, Chesed, Gvurah, Tifferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod and Malchut) [2]. If our intention is for ourselves, we're immersed in selfishness. If our intention is for others, we're in the quality of bestowal.
- When a person learns about the structure of their intention, they begin to realize that what exists on the outside is a mirror of their internal intention. Meaning, a person begins to realize that there's a parallel between what they see on the outside and what they experience within their intention.
- The Story Of Our Lives:
- There's an arc story in all of creation and there are sub-stories. The entire world and the history of the world is telling a story. When a person goes through a change in the perception of their reality, they realize that what they sees on the outside is a mirror of their personal story, that the entire world is telling the story of their life.
- I'm telling your story and you're telling my story. In this way, we're all interconnected, we're all equal, we're one and the same.
- We're Surrounded By Love:
- When a person first goes through a change in the perception of their reality, they realize who they really are - a selfish person who's been seeking to benefit themselves, even at the expense of others. This is a painful realization, especially when a person sees how badly they've treated others, and especially when they sees that they're surrounded by love.
- However, there are two discrepancies that exist:
- Sometimes a person perceives that they're the only one in selfishness, everyone else is in bestowal.
- Sometimes a person perceives that they're the only one in bestowal, everyone else is in selfishness.
- These discrepancies don't last, they disappear. Eventually, a person comes to realize that they've always been in bestowal and that everyone else has also always been in bestowal. That nothing bad has every happened to them, others or all of Nature. That we're surrounded by love, we just have to realize it.
- In this way, a person becomes aligned with their external environment, with the quality of love and bestowal. A person realizes that s/he's in bestowal and that their external environment is also in bestowal. The external environment becomes a mirror of his/her internal qualities.
These categories do not necessarily exist in isolation, they're interconnected and overlap, and are potentially all connected as one.
When a person looks at the outside world, they feel as though they're looking at themselves, they're looking at a reflection of who they are.
This brings in a true sense of equality. Literally. We're all equal because we tell each other's stories. You tell my story and I tell your story.
No one is greater than, better than or more important than others. We're all equal. We're different and we have different roles to play, but we're all equal.
The Mirror Effect makes people want to stop harming others and all of Nature. If we hate others, we hate ourselves; if we harm others, we harm ourselves. A person becomes mindful of this and only wants to benefit others and all of Nature.
In everything we do, we should seek to benefit others instead of ourselves.
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References:
- Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute. www.kabbalah.info. Retrieved Oct 9, 2014.
- Sephirot. www.en.wikipedia.org. Retrieved Oct 8, 2014
Copyright © 2014, Carter Kagume. All Rights Reserved.
